Kazakhstan is making significant strides in the global market by enhancing its agricultural processing capabilities, leading to a notable increase in the export of high value-added products. The country has identified China and Central Asian nations as key export markets, with these regions accounting for more than half of Kazakhstan’s exports across 38 rapidly growing product categories.
China alone purchased $913.9 million worth of these processed goods, representing 27.4% of the total exports within these categories. Meanwhile, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan collectively accounted for $825.7 million, or 24.8%. Additionally, Russia and other members of the Eurasian Economic Union received 13.5% and 10.4% of these exports, respectively.
Agricultural processing has become increasingly vital to Kazakhstan’s export growth. Between January and August, the country saw a 35.1% increase in processed agricultural exports, reaching a total of $3.04 billion. These processed products constituted 54.1% of Kazakhstan’s total agricultural export value during this period.
Particularly significant contributors to this growth were exports of grain and oilseed products. Flour exports rose by 23% in volume, totaling 1.38 million tons and generating roughly $400 million. The export value of sunflower, safflower, and cottonseed oils surged by 49% to $673 million, while rapeseed and mustard oil shipments increased 2.3 times to $90 million.
Other agricultural products also experienced strong growth. Beef exports increased by 78%, reaching $164 million, and animal feed meal exports grew by 61% in value to $578 million.
To further bolster its processing industry, Kazakhstan is investing in six major projects worth approximately $4 billion. These projects, designed to have a combined annual processing capacity of 5.8 million tons, will focus on producing starch, gluten, amino acids, and bioethanol. This expansion aims to reduce reliance on raw material exports, enhance domestic manufacturing, and improve the competitiveness of Kazakhstan’s processed products in the international market.